Stress Analysis of Laminated Composite Cylinders Under Non-Axisymmetric Loading

The use of thick-walled composite cylinders in structural applications has seen tremendous growth over the last decade. Applications include pressure vessels, flywheels, drive shafts, spoolable tubing, and production risers. In these applications, the geometry of a composite cylinder is axisymmetric but in many cases the applied loads are non-axisymmetric and more rigorous analytical tools are required for an accurate stress analysis. A closed-form solution is presented for determining the layer-by-layer stresses, strains, and displacements and first-ply failure in laminated composite cylinders subjected to non-axisymmetric loads. The applied loads include internal and external pressure, axial force, torque, axial bending moment, uniform temperature change, rotational velocity, and interference fits. The formulation is based on the theory of anisotropic elasticity and a state of generalized plane deformation along the axis of the composite cylinder. Parametric design trade studies can be easily and quickly computed using this closed-form solution. A computer program that was developed for performing the numerical calculations is described and results from specific case studies are presented